Ideas for Enjoying the Planning Process by Valley and Co

Aleah and Nick, the husband and wife event planning duo behind Valley & Co, also run a blog that is full of ideas for planning your wedding while keeping your sanity. We’re so glad to have them stop by today to give us tips on how to enjoy the process!

We all know that your wedding day can go by in a whirlwind of kisses, stolen moments, and hugs from family and friends. Well enjoying the planning process is just as important as savoring each extraordinary moment on your wedding day. The planning process is what will bridge your singleton life and wedded bliss. It’s a precursor to how you and your fiancé will plan other events in life together, how you will work together on budgets, communicate, and hammer out differences. Take a deep breath before you dive in and take heed to our top planning tips for enjoying the planning process.

1. Divide and conquer. Much like with married life, there are certain elements of planning that will be more important to the both of you than others. What’s helpful in creating a harmonious planning process is dividing and conquering those tasks that each of you really cares about. Whether it’s the food, flowers, or the music, let your fiancé take the reins on what he {or she} is passionate about.

2. Create surprises. Talk to your significant other about surprising them with your desserts, bar setup, or favors. This builds trust and creates some fun suspense; run with what you know they will love and would be surprised about seeing on the big day. This could be a groom’s cake, bringing in your bride’s favorite guitarist for the ceremony, or scheduling a grand exit to a fireworks display. Whatever it is, hinting to a surprise or two or agreeing to do this for one another is the perfect wedding gift.

3. Work together. Just as important as it is to let your significant other voice their opinion and tackle tasks near and dear to them, it’s key to work together on big planning tasks. When fine-tuning out your budget be sure and have a clear idea of what this means. Focus on attending meetings for tasks that you are both excited about; such as the food tasting or going and listening to your band prior to the wedding day.

4. Savor the moments. Document fun times you’l have throughout the process in photos you’ll look back and fondly remember that special time spent together. Really ensure that you have your details wrapped up a few weeks out and have a solid team you can rely on so that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the time leading up to your wedding and have the time of your lives on your wedding day.

Kara is happily married in San Francisco where she occasionally stalks brides and tries to convince them to wear wedding dresses she wishes she could wear herself. She loves sales at Anthropologie, afternoon dance parties with her kids, and encouraging people to talk in funny accents.